Electric Blanket Believed Cause Of Pre-New Years House Fire

No one was injured in a structure fire that left the homeowner homeless three days before the start of the new year.
The fire was reported on Westview Lane when the resident wanted the fire department to come out and check an electric blanket that “had possibly shorted out.”
According to reports, when the first engine was responding to the address from several blocks away, they could see heavy smoke coming from the area.
At that point, they called for additional units to respond to the scene, and upon their arrival, Canton Fire Department Shift Leader Brian McAteer and his crew noticed heavy smoke and fire coming from the front side of a quadplex unit.
The firefighters were then advised that one of the units still had an occupant inside. The crew focused their efforts on finding and removing this individual.
The occupant was easily found by the crew and was unaware that the building was on fire. She was removed and taken to a safe location.
At this time, McAteer and his crew were able to initiate an attack on the fire.
Additional Canton units arrived at the scene along with units from the South Van Zandt Fire Department. Due to the efforts of these crews, the major damage was contained to the initial unit that was on fire when they arrived.
There were some slight smoke and odor issues with the other units but no structural damage.
The Canton Police Department was on scene along with the fire department as they provided a safe zone for the firefighters to work, and also assisted with crowd control.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by Van Zandt County Fire Marshal Chuck Allen.
Before leaving the scene, crews made sure that all occupants of the building had a place to stay for the evening and also made sure that the units of the structure were secured so that others could not enter.
“All in all, the public safety units with the city of Canton have done another fine job of protecting our citizens from harm,” City manager Lonny Cluck said in a press release. “They always take a bad situation and make it better very quickly.”
“I’m very proud of the fire department which is made up of both paid and volunteer firefighters,” Cluck continued. “The fire department is another integral part of the city staff which continuously works hard to protect and serve this community every day. Way to go city employees.”

Courtesy PhotoAn electric blanket is believed the cause of a fire that gutted a duplex unit. No injuries were reported, but the unit was a total loss.